Heyward’s prose is evocative. Witness lines such as the following: ‘Fireflies appear above the swirling blackness of the river, their flashing points of light creating an odd counterpoint to the immense equatorial night sky arching overhead.’ He also tries hard to create a respectful and nuanced portrait of his adopted home. Heyward concedes that he will always be a ‘foreigner’ in Indonesia, but ‘year after year I am welcomed into [his] village, made to feel somewhere between a special guest and a kind of honorary member of the community’.

The most compelling parts of Crazy Little Heaven are those that chronicle Heyward’s adoption of the Islamic faith. The author had been raised in an Anglican household, though he had for years been uninterested in ‘spiritual life’. This changed when Heyward met his future wife, who is a Muslim. Heyward movingly describes committing to the teachings of Islam.

Crazy Little Heaven is a welcome addition to studies of Indonesian culture. The book is also a testament to Heyward’s skills as a wordsmith.